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Saturday, December 31, 2011

I go back to December all the time.

I can't believe it's already nearly the end of 2011. Maybe we're living the Spy Kids 4 movie where time is literally just speeding up and we don't even know it until it's gone. And, we're back where we were 365 days ago: New year's eve. Resolutions given up upon, lots of shopping, and of course.... fireworks. In less than a day we will be counting down and looking back on yet another year. Good or bad, the days will still go by wether or not you want to move on with it.
Have you made any resolutions? Wait, rephrase that. Did you actually achieve what you said you wanted to do for the year?
I sure haven't....
*oopps*
I haven't blogged much lately mainly because I didn't feel like blogging. Now that I feel like it, I'll just put everything that I didn't blog about in the past months into this.
Enjoy your read.

First things first.......CHRISTMAS!!

Don't you just love it? Ah. The presents under plastic coloured trees, Christmas carols, lights and not forgetting the advertising schemes to encourage people to buy more stuff they don't need. I'm not trying to sound like the grinch that stole christmas or anything, but it is kind of true that they are making this into a consumerism affair rather than Jesus's Birthday or something like that. But other than that, christmas is really fun too. Lots of beautiful decorations in malls that look so surreal, and magical and like it jumped out of a fairy tale is what I like the most. Although, I would really love to see some snow but we have all-year-long summer here. Which could be good and bad. Quite a contradiction.... Anyway... I'm like a child in a toy store in a mall decorated with christmas stuff... except I am still considered a child and my toy is a camera...

I was in Borders bookstore for a very long time the other day when my parents had a meeting there and I found this book by Martha Steward with craft ideas for every single major holiday and occasion in America. Towards the end of the book there was a section on snow globes. When I was little I used to love starring into those little snow globes and watching the fake snow and glitter fall. (Okay, I admit I still love doing that.)

So I decided to make my own.

On Christmas eve, the whole Chong family (and us few Soon's) had dinner at The Office. Now, why would anyone want to eat at an office? It's just called an office but actually isn't even close to looking like an office. Confusing, isn't it? The food was good. You shouldn't take my word for it though, because I had fruits and yogurt. Apparently the chicken was really good, but I don't eat chicken.

Dinners like these are just like all other big family gatherings: long. But this time it wasn't that bad. You know why? Because there were so many pictures of lights and other stuff that I could take with my tiny little camera. Here's some of them:

I also got to sing for the whole family. Talk about nerve-wrecking!

Then, they set up a mic and a stool for me to sing in front of the entire restaurant! I was so nervous! I didn't prepare any songs to sing to the entire crowd! (my parents actually forced me to bring my guitar) Secretly I wanted to perform but I was too AFRAID. But I'm slowly overcoming that fear. Turns out it went quite well. The sound was good, people listened to the two songs I sang, Katy Perry's 'The on that got away' and my original 'Tonight'.

I have come to realize that people actually read my blog, as in 480 blog views last month kind of thing and I'm not quite just rambling and ranting on about stuff to myself anymore.
Wait what?!? Someone's actually reading this?
Well, then I better write more sense into your bored, nothing-better-to-do-but-to-read-the-stories-of-this-fifteen-year-old-girl-rambling-on-and-on-and-on-and-yet-you're-still-reading-this, sitting-at-the-computer (or smart-phone which turns out to be not as smart as they give themselves credit for) mind!

I got these quotes from Justin Bieber's autobiography:

Something I've been thinking about lately is fear. Yes, I can smell your fear through this blog....
Kidding!

Why do we live in so much fear?
Why are we so afraid of what people think?
Maybe the real question you should really be asking yourself is should I be afraid?
Should I even care what people are thinking?
I don't think anyone can be absolutely fearless. Fearless isn't the absence of fear, but being afraid and jumping anyway. We're all afraid. I know you probably are too afraid to admit that you're afraid, and you don't want people to know that you're afraid. Right? Admit it or not, everyone has some kind of fear. It's good to be afraid. That means you still have something to loose. But if that fear is stopping you from doing something you really want to do, overcome that fear.
I think you'll reach a point in time where you should not care what people think of you. It doesn't really matter what their opinion of you is, you can't please everybody. It doesn't mean that you don't take into consideration what anyone says, but sometimes you have to think and not take it blindly. I think if you've accepted yourself for who you are, there's no need to change for someone else. At the same time, change is inevitable, and nothing ever does stay the same.
So.... you're implying that I've got to change and stay the same, right?
Right!
Now, lets move on....

I had my second Ticket To Nashville recital on the 18th of December and it was a lot of fun! We had it at Zest Café this time instead of House Of Lords and the whole place was full! It was also sort of like a homeschooler's reunion. Ruby, the girl I met at Shining Star talent competition last year agreed to perform a few songs during the break and she has really improved! I think all of us have since then. But I really do admire her confidence. She can talk so comfortably to a crowd. Man, I've got to learn how to do that.... Anyway, The sound system wasn't that great so I had to really bang on my guitar so that the others could hear it but the setting was really nice and cozy. I heard that they served a special vegetarian lagsania there but by the time I was done singing, everything was eaten up. The owner is my dad's friend and he really helped out a lot to make this event happen. He even helped sell magazines to raise funds for me. I'm still not sure exactly how much we managed to raise, but I am so grateful to everyone who came and helped. I had so much fun! I can't wait for the next one!! Sorry I don't have much pictures of the event, obviously I wasn't taking pictures of myself, my mom took this one :)

Also......

I can't wait to start school next year! I'm one of the few people who actually look forward to things like this. We went for the open day of the learning centre quite a number of my friends go to and decided to sign up. They said that they have limited spaces and I'd have to take a test to get in. Just two subjects, English and math. What?!??!! Math? I've developed this weird, psychological block towards math ever since going to regular school four years ago. That was like ten minutes of complete, and utter panic. Then, the teacher said that it was okay, I could show her my English essays and start math class earlier (the next intake starts in June). So my entrance to the centre depended on my writing and not my counting. What a relief!!! The principal seemed quiet impressed with my writing, I'm glad she was. I always expect the worse like she'd hate it and say it's terrible or something like that.

So it's more like I'll be one of those people saying their homeschooled but don't actually study at home. My sister's not really happy about that.... she's completely anti-school or study. She expressed her hate towards college, school and any other centre involving sitting down and studying, going on and on. She took it well...

In a few hours, it will be a new year. New beginnings, fireworks, celebrations! Or, it could just be another day. I don't think there's going to be this magical phenomenon where suddenly everything changes as we step into another year, but I will be very, very grateful if the world doesn't end.

This year I got to overcome a lot of my fears, or at least I'm overcoming them and I am very happy I did because if I didn't, I would now be sitting on a mountain-high pile of regret. Doing something that is different isn't easy, but doing something that is the same as everyone else is too boring. And I have to thank my family loads for pushing me to do a lot of these stuff because I would've been to chicken to do it myself!

This year,

I got to record in a studio.

I got to meet Amos, Taylor Swift's bass player.

I went to Taiwan. I met Lee Dewyze.

I got to tell Yuna she's awesome.

I tried out for Twisties Superstarz.

I dressed up in a costume for the launching of Zesta.

I went to India.

I met Greyson Chance.

I tried my hand at a little busking.

I sang a Malay song. In public.

I spoke up.

I didn't succeed, but I tried my best.

This year, I don't have much resolutions, but I'll make them up as I go because I can't possibly think of everything just sitting down here.